Whether you’re a Gears expert or a multiplayer novice, the core fundamentals stay the same: Gears Of War 4 is all about your loadout, and the arsenal you bring out onto the battlefield. As with pretty much every other shooter on the market, Gears 4 dictates a commitment to style and patience, demanding that you play to your skills and styles: the more you try to play outside your own skillset, the more the world punishes you.

That’s why your loadout is so important, and why you need to understand the basics of every weapon: what they do, what they’re good for, and how they work. Balance is key, whether you’re playing in multiplayer or the campaign, so hopefully this guide can give you the insight necessary to hit the battlefield with confidence and win the war!

We’ve broken the guide up between “Multiplayer Weapons” and “Campaign Weapons” to make it easier for you to differentiate between the two on the site. Each weapon list contains basic damage and ammo capacity stats, including when and where to find each specific weapon.

Multiplayer Weapon Basics

There’s no shortage of devastating weapons in Gears Of War 4 multiplayer. As is standard in multiplayer shooters, you’ll choose a loadout, generally spread out across multiple weapon types, and enter the battlefield packing plenty of heat.

Loadout Weapons

Lancer

Gnasher

Hamerburst

Enforcer

Snub

We’ll talk a little about these weapons later on in this guide. Loadout weapons are basically the primary weapons you select before you start a match. Aside from the Snub, which must occupy the one-handed weapon slot, all Loadout weapons can be carried in any combination.

Secondary Weapons

Markza Mk1

Retro Lancer

Overkill

Boltok

Longshot

These weapons are dropped throughout the map during a match, generally when you die. You can use these weapons in your primary weapon slot, and they will replace whatever weapons you currently have activated in those slots from your general loadout.

Power Weapons

Buzzkill

EMBAR

Torque Bow

Dropshot

Boomshot

Frag Grenade

Incendiary Grenade

Shock Grenade

Power Weapons are extremely useful and powerful weapons (go figure) that have the potential to really give a team a leg-up during a match. They are dropped in the middle of a map, and as such generate a rush from both teams trying to take control. As with Secondary Weapons, Power Weapons replace weapons in your Primary Weapon slot. The three grenade types will replace the activated grenade in that slot.

Heavy Weapons

Tri-Shot

RL-4 Salvo

Buzzkill

Mulcher

Heavy Weapons are where things get interesting. These weapons pack the most powerful punch of any other weapons in the game, although due to their “heavy” nature, don’t occupy a specific slot. You can only use it once, and as such, once you switch weapons, you will drop whatever Heavy Weapon you were using.